A Crown For your Troubles
by OncerRevolution
Summary: The Charmings, accompanied by Regina and Captain Hook, journey back to their castle in FTL in search of a much needed object. Adventure, Action, romance, and drama.
1. It's Not My Fault

**Chapter 1**

**It's Not My Fault**

"It wasn't exactly my idea to come to this," A dark-haired woman gazed around, unimpressed. "Impoverished place."

A blonde hair man whipped around, a lantern swinging in his hand, illuminating his angered face. "My castle," He turned and looked at another woman in front of him, who stood next to his wide eyed daughter. "Our castle," his gaze swept back to the dark haired woman. "Is not impoverished. It wouldn't be so wrecked like this if you hadn't cast your curse, Regina."

Regina's lips tightened to her slender face. "I'd have never cast that curse if she," her black eyes bore into the man's wife's own. "Hadn't ruined my whole life."

The man's wife stepped forward, a gentle expression sat on her chapped lips. "I was only a child, Regina. You know that."

"Snow, you don't have to explain anything to her." The man lay a soft hand on Snow's shoulder. "We owe her nothing, nothing but hate."

"Can we just stop talking and keep going? Its cold as hell in here." A blonde haired woman stepped out from the shadows, pulling her jacket tight around her waist. Her blue eyes matched her fathers.

"I agree with the sheriff." A one handed man added, smirking slightly as he caught her fathers eye.

"I'm not the sheriff here, Hook." The blonde said, her gaze fixed on the doorway ahead.

"Aye, but someone still needs to make the rules, Emma." Hook finished, following her gaze up at the door.

The wooden entrance stood large and undamaged before them. The man made his way to the front of the group, lifting his lantern above his head to grab the metal handles on the door. He looked back and coldly met Regina's eyes before pushing his weight into the portal, the door swinging like a pendulum to let them pass.

"Charming, do tell me the plan." Regina scoffed as she made her way up to stand at his side. He kept walking, speaking to her flatly.

"Plan?" He stopped and met her eyes. "There are Bleeders in our castle, no thanks to-" He was cut off by his daughters shallow voice.

"Bleeders? Is that some type of monster?" Emma asked, looking at the torn banners that hung from the ceiling above them.

"A Bleeder," Said Snow, stepping forward to take one of Emma's hands. "Is more than a monster. They are souls of those who died, souls of ones who were murdered in war."

"A ghost? Well that's easy then, a ghost can't hurt us." Emma stated, almost as if to reassure herself.

"These ghosts _can_ hurt you, lass. They can kill you." Hook pointed out, a protective flare foaming in his words as he spoke to the blonde.

"So we fight them off. Simple." She said, her voice becoming more and more wavering.

"No, we don't fight them off. You can't see them." Regina said, annoyed at the saviors lack of knowledge.

"Then how do you know they are there?" Emma asked, Regina's temper finally giving way.

"You don't! You call yourself a savior and you don't even know about the most dangerous monster of your own land?"

Charming stepped forward, throwing a hot glance at the Queen. "The only way to know one is near you is by being in complete darkness. It's their weakness, but also ours. When its dark, you can see their bleeding hearts. But you also can't tell who you are fighting. Many men have killed their own comrades in battles with these creatures."

Emma thought for a moment, chewing her lip. "Great, so what do we do then?" She asked, looking at her father and then Regina.

"Your just lucky I came." The dark haired woman answered, crossing her arms over her chest. "I already asked your father the plan, so why are you asking me?"

Emma rolled her eyes. "Your the one who brought them here, from what I've been told." She wrapped her hand around the tip of her swords handle.

"I did no such thing." The Queen said, her words full of hate.

"Actually," Charming looked to Regina. "You did. When you cast the curse you set the souls free, and a ruined castle seems to be just the kind of home they like."

"It doesn't matter who brought them here." Snow added softly, adjusting the bow and quiver of arrows on her back. "What matters is we get in, grab what we need, and get out."

"Just exactly _what_ are we here to get again?" Hook asked, tracing a broken statues face with the tip of his hook.

Charming answered for her. "Were here for Emma's crown."

Regina scoffed. "For a crown? Your kidding me." Her frozen gaze splintered into Emma's eyes.

"It's not _just_ a crown, Regina." Snow added. "The crown has magical properties, it picked Emma. When the owner bears the crown, it possesses healing powers." She smiled proudly at her daughter.

"Who exactly needs these properties, love?" Hook turned and met each of their eyes, stopping at Emma's gaze.

"Neal." She said, dropping his gaze and looking at her mother. "Now lets just go." She took a step forward.

"Lass," Hook touched her shoulder, she turned to answer him. "Why does he need to be healed?"

Emma once again dropped his gaze, shifting away from his touch. "It won't matter if we don't get the crown."

Sensing her eagerness, Snow followed her daughter. "She's right. Lets get a move on." She nodded to Charming. He raised his lantern and followed.

"Looks like little Ms. Savior has lost her," Regina smirked deviously at Hook. "Fancy for you." She let out a narcissistic laugh, coming close to his face.

Hook's eyes darkened, and he snapped. "Shes blinded by worry, love. But don't get ahead of yourself, I don't fancy you rather Swan likes me or not." He scoffed, pushing past her shoulder.

Regina rolled her eyes, flattening her lips to her teeth. "We'll see about that."


	2. Bleeders

**Chapter 2**

**Bleeders**

The league paced onward through the castle, the only light provided by Charming's lantern. Climbing over crumbled columns, Snow slowed the band with a wave of her gloved hand and pointed. "There's the stair case. The crown is on the third floor, guarded in your nursery." She said, smiling at her daughter.

"You kept a magical crown in the baby's nursery? As if a toddler could protect such a thing." Regina scoffed as she stopped next to Emma.

Ignoring her, Charming nodded. "The stairs look unsafe, Hook and I will go first, check them out. You girls stay here a moment."

"I don't take orders from you." Regina snapped, met by Charming's rolling eyes and a nod to Hook. As the lantern light waded away, the women could only make out just the outline of each others body's. A cold chill ran between them, and they didn't speak, only listened out for Charming and the pirate. Emma shuffled, breaking the silence.

"What's taking so long?" She asked, clearly unnerved by the darkness.

"I'm sure they're fine." Snow reassured, sighing with relief as the lantern's light became visible again from above.

"The stairs are fine, if we go one at a time." Charming called, walking briskly back over to them. Hook followed, meeting Emma's eyes.

"There are places where parts of the steps are missing, so be careful." Hook added.

"Well then what are we-" Regina started, but stopped abruptly when a tumble of stones rolled in the distance. "What was that?"

All their ears perked, the group listened intently, wide eyed as they stared into the darkness ahead. Charming raised his lantern higher, light shedding to the base of the stairs just in front of them. He squinted, his sight stopping just past the lanterns light. "Who's there?" His voice echoed off the cold walls.

"This is pitiful." Regina spat, raising her hand in the air. Blue light filtered from her palm, lighting more of the room in a dull gray haze. Hook looked at her in alarm.

"You couldn't have offered that earlier, maybe when we needed to see where we were going in the first place, lass?" He said plainly.

"I'm only offering it now because Charming obviously wasn't prepared to bring us into this barren castle." Regina replied hotly. Another grumble of rocks clicked in the shadows.

"Can you shut up? Somethings there." Emma said, eyes locked on a shadowed column base. Taking a step forward, charming swung the lantern closer to her, the light cascading into the shadows to reveal an empty corner. "No...I could have sworn something was there. I saw it." She breathed.

"Over here." Snow pointed, the sounds of pacing feet beating the floor where her fingers aimed. Regina squeezed her palm, more light flourishing into the room. A shadowed rolled just out of eyesight, the group gasping in alarm.

Slaps hit the floor, the echoes from the noise bouncing off the walls and windows. Everyone turned, backs against each other, eyes squinted towards the noise. "That's the weirdest sound..." Emma stated. "Almost like...hands tapping the floor."

Before she finished the sentence, a lopsided shape ran forward, as if a human were making an attempt to run like an ape. It shied away from the light, just in time for another one to pelt out of another corner.

"I can't hold this anymore." Regina huffed, her light ceasing into nothing. Now Charming's lantern shown only once more, yellow light growing weaker as the oil supply ran dangerously low.

"Charming." Snow called. "What's happening? What are those things?" She pressed against him, wrapping her arm in his.

As if to answer, another shadow rolled towards them, standing suddenly on two feet. Grey and hollow, the shadow took the shape of an emaciated man, jaw less and eyeless. Darker colors of gray hung off of it where shoulder's would be, almost like tattered clothing. Its back was slumped and cracked, and in the center of its chest lay a red, glowing heart, dripping bright liquid as it limped towards the crowd. A steady pulse showed the heart still beat, and it crowed a milky sound that shattered their ear drums.

"That's a bleeder!" Charming bellowed, pulling his sword and pointing it threateningly at the beast ahead. In response, Emma and Hook did the same, pulling their swords on two other bleeders who had made their way to the other side of the room.

"Snow, get behind me." Charming coughed. Regina threw her palms forward, spinning flames encircling her hands.

Back to back, Emma and Hook spun, keeping their eyes bored onto the bleeders before them. One bleeder dropped to its hands, running at Emma. Protectively, Hook slung his sword skillyfully at its ragged face, skimming its shadowy skull as it bellowed in pain and jumped back.

"Thanks." Emma huffed.

Paces away from them, Regina flung flames at a bleeder that ran circles around her, cawing its sound into her ears. Spinning on her left foot, she hit its back, stunning it. Laid out on the floor, she could barely see it twitching in the lantern's light. Her eyes found its beating her, and she blinked. For a moment, pity for this creature flowed over her. Was it true? Was this the soul of one of the people killed in war, brought on by her curse? Swallowing the thought away, she smirked, stepping on the rib cage of the shadow below her, its dark, smokey fog simmering away into nothing.

"Snow!" Charming tossed his sword through the air, Snow's hand clasping it's handle delicately as she slung the blade towards another bleeder who pelted towards her. Missing it by an inch, she retreated, handing the sword to Charming who danced around the bleeder's shadowy form, striking at it. The bleeder advanced on him, almost knocking him over before he caught himself, spun, and landed a deadly blow through its gleaming heart.

Hook spat at the bleeder still threatening him, skimming his sword through the air and hitting the beasts arm. It cackled in pain, its arm splintering from its body only to vanish into thin air. Angry, the bleeder leaped over Hook's head, knocking him to his back on the cracked floor. The wind knocked out of him, the bleeder wrestled him against the ground. It wrenched back, and with an enormous effort, slammed its sharp teeth from its lone upper jaw through his leather coat and deep into his side. Turning just in time to witness this, Emma darted forward, her sword out stretched in her scared hands. Slamming the blade through the glowing heart, the beast rolled in pain, and ripped the sword from itself. Fizzing away, the sword fell to the floor, clanking it's blood stained metal against the stone below.

Emma came to Hook, squatting on her knees to look at him. "Oh god, Hook, are you okay?"

The pirate gripped his side in pain, but sat up and forced a smile. "I'm fine, lass. Just a scratch." He took her hand and stood, placing his fingers against the wound on his side. "Bloody hell." He whispered to himself, the pain extraordinary.

"Is that all of them?" Snow's voice quivered, her breathing ragged as she looked from her daughter to her husband.

"I think so. At least, for now." Charming said, picking up the lantern he had dropped and wiping his busted lip on his wrist sleeve.

"What the hell, you mean there's more of those things?" Emma coughed, touching a cut across her forehead.

"Most likely," Regina stated. "Where there's a few, there's a thousand." She growled.

"Let's just get a move on, mates." Hook sighed, limping towards the bottom of the steps.

"Yes, lets." Snow said, swallowing before trailing after him.


End file.
